Single piece kite



March 4, 1952 2,588,293

SINGLE PIECE KITE Filed Nov. 12, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Mar. 4, 1952 SINGLE PIECE KITE Frank L. Roe, Evanston, Ill.

Application November 12, 1949, Serial No. 126,802

5 Claims. (Cl. 244-153) This invention relates to kites, and particularly to kites in which the required rigidity is obtained without the use of supporting struts or the like.

Conventional kites are made of paper and have wooden supporting struts for stiffenin the same. Usually it is dificult or at least inconvenient to assemble these kites, and they are easily damaged due to the low strength of the paper. Each kite may have three or more loose pieces when sold, and if any of these pieces is lost, the kite is useless. Other kites made from inherently rigid material have been proposed, but these kites have been expensive and inconvenient to handle between manufacture and purchaser.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved kite made from a single piece of paper board or other cheap flexible board which is easily handled in the course of distribution and which has sufficient stiffness for flying without being reinforced by other supporting members.

Another object is to provide an improved kite which can be made from a cheap material such as paper board, relying solely upon the inherent stiffness of the material to maintain the shape of the kite for flying.

Still another object is to provide an improved kite which is competitive with conventional wood and paper kites and which has a one-piece paper board body that can be formed into an appropriate shape for flying without the use of additional supporting members. i

A feature of the invention is' the provision of a kite having a body of cheap flexible board such as paper board which is so formed that a portion of the body can be tucked to draw the rest of the body into a saucer shape for flying and to provide a stabilizing keel on the convex side of the body.

Another feature is the unique manner in which the body is scored, creased and cut for enabling the tuck to be formed therein, with a pair of score lines convergin from an end of the body toward the center thereof and with an intermediate slit in the body on a line bisecting the angle between these score lines.

Still another feature is the additional scoring of the body to provide a strengthening rim therefor.

The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will be better understood from a study of the following detailed description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the use of a kite constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a kite embodying the principles of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the kite;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 44 in Fig.2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the paper board blank from which the kite is formed; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a modified form of kite.

In practicing the invention, the kite is made from a single piece of flexible board, such as paper board, which is cut and scored. so that a tuck can be formed therein to draw the body into a saucer shape. The kite is bounded in part by an arc ofa circle and is provided with a rearwardly extending rudder portion which joins the circular portion. The blank from which the kite is made is scored along a pair of lines that converge from the end of the rudder portion toward the center of the circular body portion in substantially equiangular relation to the rudder axis. The blank also is slit along a line which bisects the angle between the converging score line. The parts of the body defined by the slits and the adjacent score lines then may be brought together in a tuck, with suitable fastening means being employed to hold the tuck. The forming of the tuck draws the rest of, the body into a saucer-like configuration. in which form the kite may be flown. To strengthen the kite, the body is scored along a. circular are near the edge thereof and in concentric relation therewith. This affords a reinforcing rim that can be bent back to stiffen the edge of the kite. With the addition. of string and a tail, the kite is ready to be flown. No additional parts are required.

Fig. 5 illustrates a paper board blank from which the body of the kite may be formed. In this particular embodiment the body proper ID has a substantially circular outline and joins a rudder portion II. The blank is slit along the axis of the rudder as indicated at I2, this slit extending from the outer end of the rudder to a point in proximity to the center I3 of the circular are that bounds the body I 0. The blank is die-cut from a sheet of paper board having the requisite stiffness. Fairly thin cardboard may be used with satisfactory results. The blank is scored -or creased along two converging lines [4 which extend from the end of the rudder portion ll toward the center I3 of the body I0,

assua e Preferably a small triangular opening I5 is punched out of the body near the apex of the converging lines l4. Another opening I6 is formed in the forward portion of the body H) for a purpose which will be explained presently. To afford a strengthening rim for the body If], the blank is scored or creased along a circular are 11 that is located close to and in concentric relation with the circular edge of the body Ill. The manner in which the rim 18 defined by the score line H functions will likewise be explained presently. All of the score lines 14 and ii are made on the same side of the blank.

It is contemplated that the kite, as sold to the purchaser, will consist of the blank shown in Fig. 5 together with string and material for a tail. If desired, the blank maybe folded along its center line 28 to save space. The purchaser forms the blank into the saucer shape or concavo-convex form illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 by making a'tuck in the paper board intermediate the scored lines l4. To do this, the two triangular portions of the blank defined by the slit l2 and the two score lines i i are brought together in juxtaposition and are secured to each other. In Fig. 3 the two parts of the tuck 23 are shown fastened together by staples a l. However, any equipment fastening means may be employed. 'ihe formation of the tuck 23 draws the body Id of the blank into a saucer shape, as illustrated, and provides a keel or rib on the convex side thereof for stabilizing and strengthening the kite. The rim i8 is bent backward to stiffen the edge of the body l9 and thereby further strengthen the kite.

When the kite has been formed in the manner described above, strings 2:5 (Fig. 1) are attached to the body Id at the holes is therein and are tied to the main string 2% by which the kite is guided. The tail 2? is tied to the keel 23. The kite may be flown most easily with the convex sioe of the body ill facing downwardly. However, it is possible to fly the kite with the concave side down, withproper adjustment of the strings '25. The opening lc', Fig. 2, in the body Ill has been found helpful in providing added lift.. A slight breeze, miles per hour, for example; is sufiicient to fly the kite. It is not necessary to run with the kite in order to launch it. The kite merely is flipped into the air and will climb of its own accord.

The illustrated kite construction is very inexpensive and can be sold at a sufficiently low cost to compete with the conventional wood-andpaper kites. Moreover, it has the advantage that no supporting struts or sticks need be supplied. Still another advantage of the kite is the superior flying performance which is obtained with the saucer-shaped body and stabilizing keel. Substantially no skill is required in assembling the kite, and it is not easily damaged by strong Winds or by objects with which it may collide.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified kite that likewise embodies the principles of the invention. In this modification the body 35] has a semicircular portion merging with a triangular portion that tapers to the rear, where it joins the rudder 3|. The blank from which the kite is made is similar to that shown in Fig. 5. The kite is formed by making a tuck 32 in the blank, thus drawing the body 3ll into a saucer shape and providing a keel for'strengthening and stabilizing the kite. The body 30 is scored along a line 33 paralleling the outer edge thereof to define the strengthen- 4 ing rim 34. Holes 35 are punched in the body 30 to facilitate the attachment of the strings.

While the disclosure has been limited to two different forms of kites, it is apparent that the same principles of construction may be applied to a variety of other forms as well, and all such modifications should be understood to come within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A one-piece paper board blank for making a kite, said blank having an axis of symmetery extending through a center point of the blank and being scored in proximity to said axis on one side of said center point to facilitate the formation of a tuck between the score lines, with such tucking of" the blank serving to draw the blank into a saucer shape and providing a stabilizing keel for the kite, said blank also being scored along a line spaced from an outer edge thereof to define a strengthening rim for the kite, said blank forming a complete kite by the securing of said tuck and the shaping of said rib.

2. A one-piece blank for making a kite, said blank comprising a substantially fiat paper board having a body portion bounded in part by an arc of a circle and having a rudder portion joining said body portion, said rudder portion being symmetrical about an axis extending through the center of said circular are, said blank being slit along said axis from the center of said circular arc to the edge of the blank and being scored along a pair of lines in proximity to said slit, with said score lines and said slit enabling a tuck to be made in said blank intermediate said score lines for drawing said body portion into a saucer shape and forming a stabilizing keel for the kite, said body portion also being creased along a line paralleling the circular edge thereof to afiord a rim for stiffening said body portion.

3. A kite comprising a body of paper board having a longitudinal center line with a tuck in said body along a portion of said center line to shape a portion of said body approximately into the form of a saucer and to provide a stabilizing keel for the kit, said tuck being disposed on the convex side of said saucer-shaped portion, and said body also-having a rim portion bent in reverse relation to the saucer-shaped portion thereof for stiffening the kite, said tuck and said rim portion formingthe entire stiffening means for said'kite.

4. A kite formed of a single piece of flexible boardfihaving a body portion formed in a saucer shape with a tuck on the'convex side thereof and an edge portion'bent in reverse relation to said body portion, with said tuck and said edge forming the entire stiffening means for the kite.

5. A kite formed of a single piece of flexible board and having no other stiffening means, said? flexible board having a body portion bounded in part by an arc of a circle and having a rudder portion joining said body portion, said rudder'portion being symmetrical about an axis extending through the center of said circular arc, said body portion having a tuck formed along said axis for drawing-said body portion into a saucer shape, said'tuck providing a stiffening rib for said kite and forming astabilizing keel therefor, and a rim portion about said body portion and bent in reverse relation thereto to stifien the edge of said kite.

FRANK L. ROE.

(References on" following page) 5 REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the 213311067 file of this patent: 3 232 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 214721137 Number Name Date 712,603 Schneider Nov. 4, 1902 865,419 Moorhead Sept. 10, 1907 Number 1,734,493 Knott Nov. 5, 1929 325,212 2,095,672 Miller Oct. 12, 1937 10 707,996

Name Date Young Oct. 5, 1943 Heilbrunn et a1. Aug. 14, 1945 Brown July 16, 1946 Winslow June 7, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Jan. 7, 1903 France Apr. 27, 1931 

